‘I forgive you’: Indigenous school survivor awaits pope’s apology
Al JazeeraJul 24, 2022
Pope Francis on Mon. issued an apology for the Catholic Church's involvement in a "catastrophic" system of residential schools where pupils were abused and forcibly assimilated into Western culture.
Speaking in his native Spanish, the pontiff said: "I am deeply sorry - sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples."
An in-person apology from Pope Francis goes beyond what many victims of this terrible abuse could've imagined. This week could see gaping wounds left by the Catholic Church begin to be repaired and survivors finally free to resolve their ongoing trauma.
An apology isn't enough, victims of such horrific and systematic abuse deserve more. Indigenous leaders and some survivors have called for financial compensation, the return of Indigenous artifacts, and the publication of school records. These calls need to be heard.
There is a 50% chance the Catholic Church will elect a new Pope by June 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.